Herne Hill M45 Team wins British Masters Silver Medals

On Sunday a younger section of the club placed third of eight teams in their first track and field fixture of the season in the UKA Youth Development League for Under 17 and Under 20 age groups at Sutcliffe Park. The Herne Hill team was one of the largest in recent years for a match in this upper age competition, with a number of promising newcomers. 

Individual A string event winners in the Under 20 group were Oliver Hector 110m hurdles 16.91 and 400m hurdles 65.16 and Niyah Costley women’s 100m in 12.10, while Jaydine Robinson won the women’s B long jump with 4.70m, just two centimetres behind Costley who was third in the A string with 4.72m. The Under 20 women’s sprint relay team rounded off an enjoyable afternoon with an emphatic win in the 4 x 100m in 49.62.

In the Under 17 men’s events Harry Bell and Evan Cowell-New claimed a win double in the 3000m with 10:18.97 and 10:56.87 respectively. Multi event athlete Dante Clarke won the long jump with 5.80m and placed second in the 100m hurdles with 14.49, while Keeran Sriskandarajah, back from his big races in Jamaica over Easter, demonstrated his own versatility. Sriskandarajah opted not to contest his more usual event this weekend and instead placed second in the 400m hurdles in 60.81 and second in the B long jump with 5.34m.

The only individual wins in Under 17 women’s events was an A and B string double in the 1500m steeplechase for Rosalee Laban 5:54.16 and Izzy Perry 6:02.51. Both athletes also scored good points for the team in other events, with Laban third in the 80m hurdles with 14.20 and second in the 300m hurdles in 52.09, while Perry was third in the discus, throwing 13.24.


On Saturday afternoon Fiona de Mauny contested the Bristol Track Club 5km, placing tenth female in a high quality race, clocking 18:22 in a road racing event held in Bath.


On Sunday morning more Harriers masters athletes were in road race action. At the Wrexham Elite Marathon and Half Marathon Jonathan Ratcliffe placed 49th overall in the marathon and second M50, with his time of 2:52:48 now being his 71st sub 3 hours marathon to date. In the half Marathon Robin Jones was 56th overall and seventh M45 in a time of 78:22. 

To further demonstrate the depth of quality of Herne Hill M45 athletes, Oliver Morrison ran well to place seventh in the Worthing Runfest 10km, with his 36:06 securing him first place in this age category the day after his club mates had won their national silver medals.

Geoff Jerwood